Murray-Darling rainbowfish Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin Redfin perch Freshwater catfish An introductory guide Mark Lintermans Southern purple-spotted gudgeon Mark Lintermans Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin: An introductory guide is the first book devoted exclusively to the fishes of Australia’s largest river system. It contains information on the identification, habitats, biology and distribution of the 57 species of freshwater fish found in the Murray-Darling Basin, as well as background information on the threats to fish and aquatic ecosystems. An extensive reference list is also provided. of the Murray-Darling Basin This book will be an invaluable guide for naturalists, students, fishermen, A N I N T RO D UC TO RY G U id E scientists and anyone else interested in the life within our rivers. Learn about the iconic Murray cod (Australia’s largest freshwater fish), and the smaller species such as galaxias, gudgeons, hardyheads and pygmy perch that inhabit the Basin’s waterways. Mark Lintermans of the Murray-Darling Basin A N I N T R O D U C TO RY G U I D E Published by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Postal address: GPO Box 1801, Canberra ACT 2601 Office location: Level 3, 51 Allara Street, Canberra City ACT Telephone: (02) 6279 0100, international + 61 2 6279 0100 Facsimile: (02) 6248 8053, international + 61 2 6248 8053 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.mdba.gov.au For further information contact the Murray-Darling Basin Authority office on (02) 6279 0100 This report may be cited as: Lintermans, M. 2007, Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin: An introductory guide. MDBC Publication No. 10/07 ISBN 1 921257 20 2 © Murray-Darling Basin Authority 2009 This work is copyright. Graphical and textual information in the work (with the exception of photographs, artwork and the MDBA logo) may be stored, retrieved and reproduced in whole or in part provided the information is not sold or used for commercial benefit and its source (Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin) is acknowledged. Such reproduction includes fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction for other purposes is prohibited without the permission of the Murray- Darling Basin Authority or the individual photographers and artists with whom copyright applies. To extent permitted by law, the copyright holders (including its employees and consultants) exclude all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using this report (in part or whole) and any information or material contained in it. Produced by: Wilton Hanford Hanover Printing: Blue Star This publication is printed on gloss art. Cover photo: Arthur Mostead/AM Photography ii F I S H E S O F T H E M U R R AY- D A R L I N G B A S I N Foreword Native fish populations in the Murray–Darling Basin are estimated to be 10% of their pre- European-settlement levels, and alien species, such as carp, dominate the fish population in many places. The Murray–Darling Basin Authority’s Native Fish Strategy has a goal of restoring native fish populations to 60% of pre-European-settlement levels by 2050. In recent years, significant progress has been made towards this goal. A big success has been the Sea to Hume Dam fishways program, selected in 2009 as one of the top 25 Australasian ecological restoration projects by a panel set up by the journal Ecological Management & Restoration. Under the program, many fishways have been built at weirs and locks, allowing fish to swim freely along the Murray River. In another major initiative, snags (such as logs from dead trees) are being placed back in the river. They provide new habitat where fish can spawn, feed, and avoid predators. However, there is still much to be done, and an important part of the rehabilitation effort is to provide information about the Basin’s fish species. Only a few species, such as the iconic Murray cod, golden perch, silver perch and freshwater catfish, are widely recognised. Populations of these species have declined in recent decades, as have those of the trout cod and Macquarie perch, previously popular targets for anglers. The smaller fish species, such as galaxiids, gudgeons and hardyheads, are less well known, but the populations of these species have also declined. Fishes of the Murray–Darling Basin: an introductory guide is the first book to focus solely on the Basin’s fish. Originally published in 2007, it is now being reprinted to meet continuing demand. In addition to providing a wealth of information, the book also identifies areas where there are information gaps. As readers of this book, you can not only get to know the Basin’s fish better, but you may be able to provide vital information to fill some of these gaps, and to help restore our native fish populations (see page 15). Many exciting discoveries remain to be made. Rob Freeman Chief Executive Murray-Darling Basin Commission AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE iii Table of Contents Foreword . iii Acknowledgements . .vi About the author . .vi About this book . vii The Murray-Darling Basin . .ix Introduction. 1 Why have fish populations declined in the Basin? . 6 What is being done to help native fish in the Basin? . 12 Where to get more information . 14 What can you do to help?. 15 Further reading . 16 How fish are grouped and named . 17 What do the scientific names mean? . 18 Identifying fish . 21 Key to fish species in the Murray-Darling Basin . 22 Native species . 28 Mordaciidae. 28 Geotriidae . 30 Anguillidae . 32 Clupeidae . 36 Galaxiidae . 38 Retropinnidae . 50 Plotosidae . 52 Atherinidae . 58 Melanotaeniidae . 66 Ambassidae . 70 Percichthyidae . 72 iv F I S H E S O F T H E M U R R AY- D A R L I N G B A S I N Terapontidae . 82 Nannopercidae . 86 Gadopsidae . 90 Bovichtidae . 94 Eleotridae . 96 Gobiidae. 104 Alien species. 110 Salmonidae . 110 Cyprinidae . 118 Cobitidae . 126 Poeciliidae . 128 Percidae . 130 References . 132 Glossary and Abbreviations . 150 Appendix 1 Web sources of additional information on the fish . 154 of the Murray-Darling Basin Index . 155 AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE v Acknowledgements Thanks to the many colleagues who provided unpublished data or comments on individual species accounts, particularly Paul Brown, Brendan Ebner, Dean Gilligan, Michael Hammer, Paul Humphries, Michael Hutchison, Mark Kennard, Alison King, John Koehn, Leighton Llewellyn, David Moffatt, Tarmo Raadik and Peter Unmack. Of course, any errors or omissions are entirely the fault of the author. Various MDBC staff contributed to the production of this book: Sheridan Lockerbie facilitated the collection of the photos, and Dean Ansell, Jim Barrett, and Craig Boys all provided assistance in preparing or sourcing illustrations, commenting on text and generally massaging the process to ensure this book was produced. Thanks also to Richard Allan and Kris Kleeman for assistance with mapping. Special thanks to my family, particularly Lucy, who once again tolerated me locking myself away at nights and on weekends to write. The photographs of the fish are worth a thousand words—thanks to Gunther Schmida, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Hammer for their stunning images. About the author Mark Lintermans has more than 20 years experience as a fisheries ecologist and has written over 100 papers and reports. His major interests are the ecology and management of threatened species, and the interaction of native and alien fish species. Mark completed a Master’s degree at The Australian National University on the ecology of the Two-spined Blackfish and has carried out extensive surveys and ecological studies on fish of the high country. He has worked as a fisheries scientist for the ACT Government, the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. He is currently the President of the Australian Society for Fish Biology. Mark grew up in Melbourne, is a passionate supporter of the Collingwood Football Club, and hopes he will live long enough to see them win back-to-back premierships. This is his second book, the first being a field guide to aquatic fauna of the high country and southern tablelands. vi F I S H E S O F T H E M U R R AY- D A R L I N G B A S I N About this book This is the first book devoted solely to the fish of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). Other books have included information on Murray-Darling Basin fish communities in broader regional (southeast Australia) or national compilations, but many of these are out of print and difficult to obtain. There are some excellent regional field guides available (see page 14), but nothing that covers the entire fish fauna of the MDB. When you consider that the MDB contains the three longest rivers in Australia (Murray, Darling and Murrumbidgee) (Fig 1), covers more than 1 million km2 (14 per cent of the country’s total area), and that in 1983–84 it accounted for almost 60 per cent of the nations water use, it is surprising that a book on MDB fish has not appeared sooner. Hopefully, this book will provide information to anglers, naturalists, students, scientists and managers on the diversity, distribution and ecology of the native and alien fish of the Basin. The main text describes each freshwater species that occurs in the Basin, its common and scientific name (and alternative common names in brackets), where it occurs, how to identify it, what habitats it utilises, and aspects of its ecology.